TONIGHT’S GAME:
The Rangers will face-off against the Nashville Predators at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m.; TV: NBC Sports Network; Radio: 1050 ESPN Radio), in their third game in four days. The Blueshirts currently sit atop the Eastern Conference standings, and rank first in the league overall, with a record of 28-11-4 (60 pts). The Rangers enter the contest having been defeated by the Montreal Canadiens, 4-1, on Sunday at Bell Centre to snap their four-game road winning streak, and are now 11-3-0 in their last 14 games. New York has posted a record of 25-8-2 since Oct. 29, after beginning the season with a 3-3-2 mark. The Predators have posted a record of 26-15-4 (56 pts) after their win yesterday at Long Island, and have won their last five games. Following the contest, the Rangers will face-off against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, Jan. 19, at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m.), in an Atlantic Division match-up.

RANGERS vs. PREDATORS:
* All-Time: 7-5-1-2 overall (2-4-1-1 at home; 5-1-0-1 on the road)
* 2011-12: Tonight is the first and only meeting this season
* Last Season: New York was 1-0-0 overall, having won their only meeting, 2-1, in the shootout on Nov. 27 at Nashville. Ryan Callahan notched the game-tying goal with 6:56 remaining in regulation, and Erik Christensen tallied the only goal in the shootout. Henrik Lundqvist made 29 saves through regulation and overtime, and stopped all three shots faced in the shootout.
* New York ranks 11th with a 13-4-2 (28 pts) record at home; Nashville ranks 13th with an 11-8-1 (23 pts) mark on the road
* The Rangers have posted a 0-1-0 record vs. Central Division opponents; the Predators are 1-0-1 vs. the Atlantic Division
* Henrik Lundqvist has posted a 3-2-0 record with a 1.79 GAA in five career regular season contests vs. Nashville; Martin Biron is 4-2-1-0 with a 2.24 GAA and one shutout in seven career regular season games vs. the Predators
* Marian Gaborik leads the Rangers with 12 goals and is tied for the team-high with 23 points in 26 career regular season contests vs. Nashville; Brad Richards leads the team with 18 assists and is tied for the team-high with 23 points in 20 career regular season games vs. the Predators
* New York lists no former Predators on their roster
* Nashville lists no former Rangers on their rosterSPECIAL TEAMS:
The Rangers are tied for seventh in the NHL with a plus-six rating on special teams [(PPG+SHG)-(PPGA+SHGA)]. New York is 13-78 (16.7%) with the man advantage in the last 25 games. The Blueshirts penalty kill has held opponents scoreless in nine of the last 10 games (20-21, 95.2% over the span), and is 45-50 (90.0%) with five shorthanded goals in the last 19 contests. The Rangers are tied for third in the NHL with six shorthanded goals. The Blueshirts have posted a record of 15-1-2 in games when tallying a power play goal, and are 20-5-2 when not allowing a power play goal.
* Power Play: The Rangers did not tally a goal in one power play attempt (2:00) on Sunday at Montreal. New York ranks 23rd overall (22-152, 14.5%) and 12th at home (63-78, 19.2%). The Rangers are 2-12 (8:51) in five-on-three situations (last – 12/23 vs. PHI), and 0-4 (3:46) when four-on-three (last – 11/3 vs. ANA). Shorthanded goals allowed (3): 12/5 vs. TOR (Steckel); 12/8 vs. TBL (Moore); 12/17 at PHX (Korpikoski).
* Penalty Killing: The Blueshirts held the Canadiens scoreless in one power play attempt (2:00) on Sunday at Montreal. New York is tied for fifth overall (122-141, 86.5%) and ranks eighth at home (49-57, 86.0%). The Rangers are 5-6 (3:26) in three-on-five situations (last – 12/17 at PHX), and 0-1 (1:17) when three-on-four (last – 10/7 at LAK). Shorthanded goals for (6): 10/20 at CGY (Prust); 12/8 vs. TBL (Anisimov); 12/10 at BUF (Hagelin); 12/10 at BUF (Callahan); 12/20 at NJD (Hagelin); 1/6 at PIT (Dubinsky).
* Four-on-Four: New York did not skate in a four-on-four situation on Sunday at Montreal. The Rangers are plus-four in 42 four-on-four situations (77:59), and even in one three-on-three situation (0:01). Four-on-four goals for (4): 10/18 at VAN (Gaborik); 10/20 at CGY (McDonagh); 10/27 vs. TOR (Girardi); 1/2 vs. FLA (Gaborik). Four-on-four goals allowed (0).

BACK TO BACKS
The Rangers have played seven of 14 scheduled back-to-back sets this season. New York has posted a record of 6-0-1 (3-0-0 at home, 3-0-1 on the road) in the first game of the set, and are 5-1-1 (4-0-0 at home, 1-1-1 on the road) in the second game. Since 2009-10, New York is 26-9-3 in the second game of back-to-back sets, with a 13-3-1 mark at MSG and 13-6-2 on the road over the span. Henrik Lundqvist has started on consecutive days 56 times in his career, posting a record of 35-14-7 with a 1.82 GAA, .935 Sv% and six shutouts in the second game. The Rangers’ next back-to-back set is Jan. 31 – Feb. 1, with road games in New Jersey and Buffalo.

PLACE IN HISTORY
The Rangers’ .698 win% through 43 games is the team’s best start in 40 years, when the 1971-72 Blueshirts began the season with a 29-7-7 record (.756 win%), and is the third best start in franchise history.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Rangers have won six of their last eight games at Madison Square Garden entering tonight’s contest. The Blueshirts’ 13-4-2 (28 pts) mark at MSG is their best start at home through 19 games since 1995-96 (14-2-3, 31 pts).

WINNING HABIT
New York has posted four winning streaks of five games or longer this season, which is the most in the league, and marks the first time in franchise history the Rangers have done so through the team’s opening 40 games.

ALL-STARS
Three Rangers were selected for the 2012 NHL All-Star Game – Henrik Lundqvist, Marian Gaborik and Dan Girardi. It is the first time since the 1996-97 season the Rangers had three players selected for the All-Star Game (Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Brian Leetch). Head Coach John Tortorella also clinched an All-Star berth, becoming the first Rangers coach in franchise history to coach in the All-Star Game.

QUICK HITS:
* This is the latest the Rangers have been in first place of the Eastern Conference standings since the 1995-96 season, when New York held the top position through games played on Mar. 15, 1996 (NYR game #68). *courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau
* New York has registered at least one point in 27 of their last 35 games (25-8-2), dating back to Oct. 29, after beginning the season with a 3-3-2 mark; The Rangers have out-scored their opponent, 106-72, during the stretch
* The Rangers have won four of their last five road games, and are 10-3-0 in their last 13 games away from MSG
* New York is 7-1-1 when leading after the first period and 17-0-2 when leading after the second
* The Rangers are tied for fourth in the league with a .250 win% when trailing after two periods (3-8-1), and their three third period comeback victories are tied for seventh in the NHL; New York has trailed entering the third period in 12 games this season, which is tied for the fewest in the league
* New York leads the NHL with a .778 win% when out-shooting their opponent (14-4-0)
* The Rangers lead the league when scoring first, posting a 20-1-1 mark (.909 win%) in those contests; Their 20 wins are tied for second in the NHL

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
* Henrik Lundqvist posted a career-high, seven-game winning streak from Dec. 20 – Jan. 10 (1.13 GAA, .962 Sv% and one shutout over the span)
* Lundqvist has allowed one goal or less in seven of his last 12 games, and has held opponents to two or fewer goals in 21 games this season
* Lundqvist ranks fourth in the NHL in Sv% (.935), is tied for third in GAA (1.95), fifth in shutouts (three) and sixth in wins (19)
* Martin Biron has held opponents to two or fewer goals in eight of his 11 starts this season
* Marian Gaborik is tied for fifth in the NHL in goals (23)
* Derek Stepan has tallied 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in the last 22 games, including five points (two goals, three assists) in the last six
* Carl Hagelin has tallied six points (three goals, three assists) in the last 10 games
* Brian Boyle has tallied two points (one goal, one assist) in the last four games
* Ryan McDonagh has tallied four assists in the last eight games
* Ryan Callahan has tallied 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in the last 25 games, including eight points (two goals, six assists) in the last 11

Auditioning for the Rangers tonight, Shea Weber and Ryan Suter. Sather better have the chloroform ready so he can force the Preds GM to sign off on a trade for Wolski, Avery, EC and a 7th round pick in 2015.

Get ready to look in the mirror tonite with a defensive oriented team with very good goaltending and opportunistic offense. Weber and suter are in the top 5 in team scoring with suter sitting out the second half of yesterdays drubbing of the ice-landers with an upper body injury.

Thought Mitch played OK on first line, would like to see hags on line with Cally and B Rich to help get them going at ES again.

Preds having a great season! should be a good test for the Rangers tonight.. Can’t wait to see how they play this weekend against the Bruins. But, I hope torts doesn’t have them looking too far ahead and that they take care of business this week.

Peds didn’t get much of a fight yesterday’s matinee v isles, up 3-0 in first 10 mins, scoring on first 2 shots. Isles need to draft another goalie in the first round – Ha!

The Peds are playing against one of the top teams in the league on national TV; for a small market team, this is their showcase.

Poor Newbury being called up and having to play with Wolski. There really isn’t another option in Hartford? If AV is being furloughed, at least throw the Swedish meatball In the mix for a game or two.

Last year they played their worst hockey with Feds out of line-up, coincidence or not. He may not score 20 goals, which some use as their primary measuring stick, but will take the body, bang the boards and back check.

I found a new hobby to occupy myself with during pregame warmups. Everyone is always crowded around the Rangers’ side of the ice, yet nobody goes to the opponent’s side. The last game I was at I was in the front row heckling Rozsival, telling Doan he would be a Ranger soon, and lending my approval to Biz Nasty and the Korpedo.

Tonight I can tell Weber how Suter is out because he doesn’t want to play against his future team.

HOw many of you folks read………I mean really read for enjoyment. If you ever want a real picture of how this country was formed, and the guy who really did most of it….read a book called TORYS. By Thomas Allen

What WAshington went thru ( far beyond Valley Force and crossing the Delaware, but the constant overall up and down in and out of keeping a (Hah) Army together, and the treachery and brutality on all sides would make the Taliban blush.

Not to start trouble, but all the consternation I’m seeing about this trade deadline,
can the Rangers get what they need, who do they have to give up to get a scoring LW, heaven forbid the guy they trade is one day younger than they guy we get,
all that nonsense…..

Had they signed Ilya Kovalchuk instead of Brad Richards (signing a much cheaper
Tim Connoly- type instead), they wouldn’t have many of these problems.

They’d have a game-breaker & a PP force; and please dont quote me IK’s NJD numbers.
he’d have been 10 times better as a Ranger. And in a few years everyone’s going to be looking to dump BR, who seems like he can barely skate some nights.

Anyway, that’s what the Ranger are dealing with, the fallout from that decision.
(which just so happens to have been the one that brought me to this blog; lucky youse ;)

Random fact (that I meant to post this weekend but wasn’t around), but I think the last time we beat the Habs in Montreal was when Dawes was on our team and dominated them, making that sick pass to Drury to come back from a 4-0 deficit to win. Nigel loved playing in Montreal for some reason. Marcel Hossa did too, since he would light them up as he hated their team for how they treated him.

Now we have better players and can’t seem to win there at all. Montreal typical!!!

The same Kovalchuk that’s led the Devils to an under 15% PP rate the past two seasons in NJ? The same Kovalchuk that gets exploited playing the point on the PP that leads to NJ leading the league in SHG against? The same Kovalchuk that is on the ice for more even strength goals against per 60 than goals for?

To elaborate: I don’t think Kovalchuk plays a style that would fit this team. I don’t think he would be able to shine or reach use his skill very well. Although I do hear that his teammates absolutely love him, I just don’t see him being a good fit on this team. Not saying I wouldn’t like his skill set. Just saying he doesn’t fit the plan.

With all the recent hub-bub about B Rich’s game, makes me wonder why he and Gabby did not mesh. Frankly, it has helped create more balance on the team with them on two different lines and also helped expedite Step’s development (shoot the puck more Step!), but just curious why their respective games did not mesh well.

B rich is playing with a solid RW two way second line forward and a cast of thousands on the LW this season. Dubi finally started to put hit and hustle and his productivity increased. Prior to Dubi’s getting back to the old, Hags was the most effective on their wing. Even Feds played better than Wolski. With refs regressing back to old ways and not calling off puck interference, Hags effectiveness will be lowered.

B Rich has had an OK season up to date – not bad considering the onus on coming to this town, being named Asst Capt and helping ‘lead’ the team to top record. DZ credits B Rich will helping his maturation – – that payed for half his salary right there! Second half and PO performance is what he will ultimately be judged on. The jury will be watching…

Why are the NJ stats irrelevant? How he’s played in NJ mirrors how he’s played his entire career. After nearly 750 NHL games, and a grand total of 9 postseason games, I think we have a good idea as to what Kovalchuk is and what he isn’t.

If anything his production has gone down (going from a perrenial 40 goal scorer to a perrenial 30 goal scorer) and his defensive play hasn’t really improved on a supposed better defensive team.

For the record I was one ranger fan that wasn’t thrilled on signing Richards to a expensive lengthy contract but unfortunately it is what it is and the rangers are stuck with him unless sather can pull another Gomez type trade, you never know.

His NJ stats are irrelevant, because you can’t say what would’ve happened.

You can’t just transfer his NJ numbers to NYR numbers when he would’ve had different teammates, different coaches, different opponents, etc.

And NJ should not be using him at the point, but at the tops of the circle, where he can still fire but has some backup. I dont understand their stupidity there, with how many times they’ve been burned already.

I think he would have grown as a NYR, really excelled playing in MSG especially,
and instead is stagnating (and probably secretly miserable) in NJ.

I dont love Kovalchuk tomg, but since you made that unnecessarily nasty remark when I was talking hockey, Ill stick around just to bother YOU.

Rod – Kovy wasn’t signing with anyone but the Devils, they were just working out the details. Plus for the price he wanted (was rumored to be an $8 mil cap hit), we didn’t have the cap space with Avery’s 2 million, Boogaards almost 2 million, and Dubi/Cally being RFAs and getting significant increases. And with the cap being less than what it currently is, I believe 2 million less, we couldn’t fit him at the time without worrying about other things.

Also, Kovi is best served at the point on the PP, especially when setting up in an Umbrella. He played there all the time in Atlanta and lit it up. The difference is that NJ doesn’t have a true setup man to set him up like Savard did in ATL. They’d throw Kozlov in front, have Hossa waiting on the off side for a rebound, Savard would move the puck around with Enstrom/Hainsey and get him open.

The Devils usually like getting Parise in front, throwing Elias on the wall so he can curl in and shoot, and their 3rd forward (now Henrique I believe waiting for a rebound. So the puck stays lower and they almost have to force themselves to get it back up and over to Kovalchuk.

Issue with having Kovy by closer to the wall is that despite how much of a bomb of a shot he has, if he misses the net, the puck is coming all the way out unless your d-man can rush to keep it in, especially in their current setup. Having him closer to the top gives him more room to miss (if he does) and a better angle at the net.

Don’t forget that ATL gave up a decent amount of SHGs then, they scored a bunch on the PP too.

Stralman moves a puck a lot better than Bickel does though, so it’s a tough decision. We could always pair Stralman with Staal and DZ with Sauer though, which I think would be more effective than Staal/Bickel. Although with Staal starting to get involved in the rush, it might be better to keep Bickel there since he stays back a lot more.

I never thought I’d say this, but it almost seems as if since we’ve gotten Staal back, the team hasn’t look as strong or decisive defensively.

PP: The Rangers are 1-for-23 over the last 10 games and 3-for-41 over the last 16.
The Rangers have been shut out on the power play in 25 of their 43 games,
getting one PPG in 14 games and two in four.

Hey: So I am giving up on Time Warner and switching to DirectTV. It seems that their best Cable package is $46 for 3 months, then $91 for 9 months, then $122 for the final year. Is there anything I am missing? Am I going to get screwed? Anyone have DirectTV?

I have DirecTV. If you guys wanted an extra $10 a month off your bill for the first 10 months, I can send you a referral e-mail. It jumps to 105 after the first 6 months I think if you use the top of the line package and then I think 140ish after all the discounts have come off. Mind you this is assuming you sign up for the top package.

I love DirecTV though. Since I moved to Boston, I have NHL Center Ice so I can watch the Rangers, just signed up for NBA League Pass to watch the Knicks, and on all of the 4 major Golf and Tennis tournaments, they have a mix channel and other channels dedicated to specific courts/holes. I also just got NFL Sunday Ticket for free since this was the first year I signed up. If you are a sports fan, it’s really great to have.

So if you want to sign up and want the $10 a month off, we can chat and I’ll send you the e-mail referral e-mail.

kovalchuk is toxic. a born loser. he has won nothing. why do you think the devils have given up so many shorty’s? partially because ilya at the point is a turnover gambling machine.

skill wise kovalchuk is great but parise is a better all around player in my opinion. lou signing ilya to that deal is something that the old stupid rangers would have done. richards is doing well for the rangers. is his contracgt to long and to expensive? sure but not scott gomez awful on the contract front, just standard free agent NHL awful…….

doodie
sometimes I think it is tough to just focus on the importing without doing some sort of exporting to maintain the steady influx of imports while not being over zealous in the exporting of the vital goods that inhibit the importing of the really valuable items!

*NYR*: “Frederic Ogden Nash (August 19, 1902 – May 19, 1971) was an American poet well known for his light verse. At the time of his death in 1971, the New York Times said his “droll verse with its unconventional rhymes made him the country’s best-known producer of humorous poetry”.”

I heard the Nash Rumor on the radio driving in to work this morning on Boomer and Carton. They said the Rangers are on the verge of Aquiring Nash and have been in heavy negotiations with the Jackets for some time. They did not however maetion any players going to the Jackets.

stuart – McIlrath isn’t a lock for the NHL. Physically, he was big, but to be fair I haven’t seen anything from him to make me say “wow, he’s a lock to make the league”. He can fight and hit, but I wouldn’t call him a “shutdown” d-man, even at the junior level.

Boomer could have confused Rich Nash with John Forbes Nash, Jr. of “A Beautiful Mind” movie fame; a mathematician whose works in game theory, differential geometry, and partial differential equations have provided insight into the forces that govern chance and events inside complex systems in daily life.

Also, Lindback is a pretty damn good young goalie. He’s a big guy at 6-6, about 220, takes up a lot of the net. He had a solid year last year outside of 2-3 starts. He was pretty solid when Rinne was out last year though.

To me, the only untouchable forwards in a trade for Nash are Gaborik and Callahan.

On defense, it gets a little trickier. I want to say I’d move Girardi, but we are just so damn thin on the right side. Would be hard to part with one of Staal, McDonagh, or MDZ also. I’d gladly move Erixon or McIlrath if they were so inclined. I’d even dangle Kreider if it meant a lessening of the blow to our defense to get the deal done.

Nash isn’t an old player or anything. The guy is 27. Dubi is 25, Callahan is 26, Gaborik 29, Girardi 27. He could be a piece on this team for a long time.

Doodie: Any consideration there to Nash making $7.8MM and McDonagh (to pick one) making only $1.3MM through next year? Nash the more valuable player all things equal, but all things aren’t equal. Like you said, especially given the cap hit, I’d be far more inclined to move a couple kids for him than a low cost player like McDonagh or MDZ who are pretty critical to our current lineup. (Bobby Ryan and his nearly $3MM lower cap hit being a different story here.)

MD, any deal would be contingent on moving some salary the other way just so we could fit under the cap. Figure Dubi for sure as one, and probably Anisimov as another. That’s 6 million there. Plus you figure they whale Wolski if they need to, freeing up another 3.8.

And while McD and MDZ are low cap hits now, they’re due for big raises; MDZ this year, McD the next.

Honestly, that team looks fierce. Richards and Gaborik are by far the oldest scoring forwards (Rupp and Feds are older, but they are replaceable). That’s a lineup that will have a solid 3 year window (including this year) to be serious contenders.

Kreider for ANYBODY would be nuts and retro the Rangers and all of us loyal fans back to Slat’s old “one-shot shopping” failed tricks we suffered for a decade. Rangers are my favorite sports team but I swear, just as I quit Phillies fandom, recently, I will do the same if they trade Kreider, and I don’t give a damn who they get in return – another overpaid Brad Richards pale carbon copy of a star player, or whomever.

Kreider is going to become THE pre-eminent player in the National Hockey League, within three years. Who the hell can’t wait three years for that?

So Boston wins the Cup this year and we no longer have Kreider in our future, leading us to a couple Cup championships of our own. We cut young Gordie Howe loose, we gave Rick Middleton away, and Cherepanov died, must we “kill” in effect, Kreider too? We don’t want too many brilliant super-star kids on our side? I can’t root for a masochistic organization, if it comes to that.

“Kreider is going to become THE pre-eminent player in the National Hockey League, within three years.”

From your mouth to God’s ears. Thing is, he hasn’t played a single professional game yet. So if I can use him to get a 27 year old perennial 30 goal scorer, premier power forward, I take the deal.

It’s not like trading Amonte for Noonan and Matteau, Weight for Tikkanen, or even Zubov for Robitaille. The guy has never played a single professional game at any level.

The closest thing I could think of is would be like making a trade at the end of the 2005-2006 season of Al Montoya for Jarome Iginla. Our highly touted prospect, who was amazing at the World Juniors, good collegiate career (although he did play one so-so AHL season at this point) for a guy that is 28 (Nash is only 27), former Richard winner (shared it with Nash), has multiple 30 goal seasons, power forward, leadership qualities, etc. Who would’ve won that trade?

Who is the guy who hates when we talk cooking in here (sorry, guy who hates when we talking cooking in here). He should know I’m roasting a chicken, then making stock, then making chicken and dumplings tonight. (Then hoping after all this is done and my baby is sleeping, I can watch the game on DVR without falling asleep myself or, worse, somehow finding out the score ahead of time.)

MD, who else would we dump? Wolski, Avery, and EC’s contracts are over at the end of the season, and unless they have buyer’s remorse on Dubi or Richards’ new deals, you figure just getting the summer cap relief on Redden (plus not having to pay him his full $39 million) would be worth it.

Rangers fans talk aboot Kreider just like they talked aboot MZA when NYR signed him. Going on and on aboot how MZA was going to play on the top line, and was going to make an immediate impact. Then he didn’t even make the team.

I don’t expect to see Kreider this season, and I’m not going to even consider whether he’ll make the team or not until I see him play against *men* and not little college frat boys!

Rick Nash is quite possibly one of the top 5 most overrated players in hockey. He scores 30 goals a season, great…

He’s not worth his cap hit. I would not give up the potential of Kreider for Nash just because of how overpaid he is for his reputation (I call this the Bouwmeester effect).

Think of it this way. Last year Nash had 32 goals and 66 points and his cap hit was 5.4 million. Dubi had 24 goals and 54 points in just about the same amount of games and his cap hit was only 2. Even using their current cap hits, Dubi is the more efficient player.

Last year we were getting 12 goals/27 points per million from Dubi while Nash only had about 6 goals/12 points per million. And looking at this years price tag vs. points, Dubi is only at 1.19 goals per mil (while Nash is at about 2 goals per mil), but Dubi is giving NYR 5 points per mil while Nash is only giving Columbus about 4 points per mil.

Richards was the guy I was thinking. He certainly hasn’t been bad this year, and the goal scoring is probably ahead of the expected pace, but he’s just a weird fit. Didn’t work out with Gaborik, doesn’t play the same style the rest of the core plays, really hasn’t elevated anyone’s game. Obviously has value, but almost $7MM? Through 2020? Eh …

(In season, I wouldn’t want to lose him, but in the offseason where maybe you can use that $6.7MM to find a better fit, I think its worth atleast considering. Probably worth doing.)

Also about Kreider, the kid has something we don’t have on our team: Size and Speed combined. His upside is too much for us to just trade him right now. He’s still young enough where we can wait to see how he handles the AHL and be able to trade him for something decent in a package deal. Guys his size with that kind of speed don’t grow on trees.

Not saying he’ll be a top line guy immediately, but at 6’3″ 210 pounds and Hagelin’s speed, we have to at least give him a look. Plus he’s a huge favorite of Torts and Sully (tried to sign him 2 years in a row), so he’s not going anywhere. More of a chance of McIlrath moving than Kreider, and personally I’d rather see McIlrath move over Kreider.

Jonny, how many goals did Gaborik have last season for his 7.5 million? Also, how are Nash’s 16 goals comparing to Dubinsky’s 5 this year? Few players at the higher end of the pay spectrum are better “bang for your buck” players than at the low end. They get paid more because they are the only guys who consistently produce at the higher level.

And Nash has been scoring 30 goals a year on the absolute worst teams in hockey. Look at who his centers have been: Vermette, Umberger, Brassard, Malhotra, Peca, and the tattered remains of Sergei Fedorov.

JD: I’d rather see McIlrath move over Kreider as well, but I think saying this one prospect isn’t worth Rick Nash is inconceivable to me. It’s not like we’re talking about 34 year old Iginla. It’s 27 year old Rick Nash. 27! One year older than Callahan, two more than Dubi. He will be a franchise player just the same.

Doodie I understand that, but I’m just saying for 7.8 million, he better be scoring 40+. It’s the main reason why we thought Gomez was so overpaid since he was getting his 7.5 million to post up 55-60 points a season.

Plus statistics have proven that “changes of scenery” for players like him won’t boost his statistics. So while the thought process might be if he plays with a better team his stats will get even better, other star players have proven that usually isn’t the case. Not saying he couldn’t get 40+ a year on the Rangers compared to Columbus (especially due to difference in strategy), but it’s unlikely.

I just don’t see the point in wasting nearly 13% of our cap space in one player that will only account for 65 points when you can spend that money on 2 players that can get you 90-100 points and use it for other areas.

That’s fine, but we’re assuming we’re throwing in Kreider in a deal including Dubi, Anisimov, and Erixon. Yes?

Straight up, I’d obviously do that deal. Even maybe just Dubi or Arty and Kreider (although I’d rather move McIlrath as I’ve said). But if we’re going to give up that much for Nash, it’s not worth giving up our #1 prospect in that deal with the amount of money we’re taking on.

Plus Rick Nash isn’t going to solve our problems or help us win a Stanley Cup. If Sather thinks we have a shot, getting Doan makes the most sense because we’ll give up the least and I’m sure Donny still has a player or two from our squad he’ll want that won’t necessarily be a top prospect (maybe move a d-man over there once so we don’t have to Whale anyone once Sauer comes back).

Jonny D, I’m trying to land a franchise player, not a one year rental (Doan). Nash put up all of those numbers, basically singlehandedly. Imagine if he played with Gaborik? Or if he doesn’t work well with Gaborik, with Richards? He will be a 40-40 player. And even if he’s only 35-35, that’s only 300k more than Gaborik is getting to be (on the average of all of his Rangers games projected over 82 games) 39-37. So because he gets paid an extra 300k to score 7 less points, you say forget it?

At first I was on the fence about it, but the more I think about it, I’d make that deal in a heartbeat. Which means Columbus would probably reject.

A bit off the track but that’s always a possibility…..
first and foremost…I don’t “hate” any subject. You can say anything you want and I find no problem with it…all I said was that I didn’t (UNDERSTAND) much of the cooking and food discussions because many of them are peculiar to the Big Apple, and I am left with my mouth agape, but in a relaxed and controlled
condition. I have at one time wondered if NY still had those old Jewish run bakeries, who turned out the wondrous Hard rolls that I grew up with in CT, and those magnificent glazed Bagels that I had in my youth, but cannot find hide nor hair of down here in
the rebellious states. Both cccp and Ilb have assured me that if I can get up to NY I’d have no problem finding them. I also like the real beef stroganoff that cannot be found here, and having never had borscht, would like to try some of the real thing some day. But you folks have more arcane pieces of desert that you refer to that leaves me wondering how you get out of bed by yourselves each morning. You all make it sound delicious but mysterious at the same time.

Carp – I wouldn’t call him fast, he’s definitely a powerful skater though with solid hands. He’s big so he can protect the puck well and get to the net (how he scores his goals). He’s much better in open ice though (which kind of states the obvious), but when the space closes down he’s not as effective, which is weird because of his size.

Also the 31 goals in 54 games was the year after the lockout when the ice was like a Euro rink since the league set records for PPs and people were afraid to hit because they didn’t know the rules. Even Prucha scored 30 that year. Not to discredit Nash there, but that number is inflated due to the rule changes.

Should also mention that Nash does get injured a decent amount as well. Mostly nagging injuries due to his style of play. I don’t think he’s ever played a full season.

Doodie – I should say that I think Gaborik was overpaid as well (which I did say when we signed him haha). I’m not saying we shouldn’t trade for Nash, I’m just saying that’s giving up a lot for a star player (not superstar) who has gone to the playoffs just once in his career. You are also putting a lot of pressure on our top 2 lines to score, something that would bite us in the playoffs if either of those two lines don’t get going. Looking at previous cup winners, the Hawks and the Bruins both had scoring depth on 3 of their lines.

So I understand where you are coming from and why you would make the deal. I personally wouldn’t do it just based on what I’ve seen from Nash over his career, specifically the last few years where he’s picked up some nagging injuries that have slowed him down a bit towards the end of the season.

Do not get to see much of Rick Nash, but in the Olympics when the best of the best were playing, he was Canada’s most impressive forward IMO.

He is in his prime as a power forward. Jon Cryder has all the tools, but has not demonstrated at this level through no fault of his own. Losing Charlie Sheen has hurt his production in second half of this season.

We must not forget that as constituted, the team is actually more well suited for the playoffs than the regular season. Let’s not throw that away for a bit more sparkle when the games are less important. Defense wins championships.

As for Kreider. I have as high hopes for him as any of us do here, but if he was one of the centerpieces to a deal that could land Nash I’d do it. As long as that deal isn’t stripping away a lot of the depth the organization has sought to build. But if Dubi and Kreider were the primary pieces to that deal then the Rangers should at least give it a lot of thought.

And realistically, the guys that dominate the stat sheets in the NHL usually start in the NHL almost immediately after getting drafted. Now there are plenty of good and great players that take some time to season in the minors but virutally any player that could be called the “pre-eminent” player in the NHL starts there and within a couple of years starts to dominate. The Rangers would be extremely lucky if Kreider defies that trend. I’m always open to being proven wrong.

I don’t disagree with the notion that defense wins but take a look at the Stanley Cup finalists (both winners and losers) since the lockout. Almost all of them are top 10 scoring teams in the league. The Rangers have typcially had good team defense, not to mention goaltending, their last few playoff apperances but they couldn’t put the puck in the ocean off a very short pier during their last few playoffs runs.

are we seriously debating whether we wouldnt want nash. are you freaking kidding me this kid is an absolute stud. if he doesnt define the wordS POWER FORWARD then you have me lost.

dubi in an absolute package inlcuding mcilrath erixon and a pick. i would like to keep kreider but if hes the deal breaker then you have to do it. i need to see the package first we could only speculate

Doodie – Yes, because if it doesn’t work out, we’ve given up our top forward prospect and one of our top two defensive prospects plus servicable 2nd (or 3rd) line forwards in Anisimov and Dubi for a 7.8 million dollar contract that will be on the books for a long time and handcuff us again unless Slats works his magic (even though by that time it’ll be Messier unfortunately running the show). Then you have to take into account the fact that it drastically changes the locker room, although Nash is a great teammate so I don’t think it’d be too big of a problem. But can Nash handle Torts attitude? Can he fit into our style of play? Can he handle playing in NYC versus Columbus?

Too many question marks for something that won’t guarantee a cup run, especially when we’ll be running 2 lines out there that will only be checking and won’t be expected to score. I don’t understand why it’s so unbelievable that I don’t agree with you. I completely understand why you would make the trade and you make plenty of valid points, I just don’t think it would be a good trade to help us win the cup.

CT – I wasn’t blaming Nash for not being in the playoffs. That is certainly not his fault since he’s the only reason why they made it that one year and he has absolutely no help around him. The issue is that he’s 27 and only been there once. It’ll take him some time to adjust since the playoffs are more intense. Not saying he can’t do it, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he took him 1 or two tries at the playoffs before he was truly comfortable playing in them.

Personally, I’m on the fence but leaning towards Kreider being a deal breaker. Maybe I’m dreaming but if we could move any of the other prospects(Thomas, McIlrath, Erixon, MZA, etc.) and replace Dubi and AA with Nash and Kreider, I think we’d all be ecstatic. This is not a deal we have to make, so if we can’t get him on our terms then so be it. We move forward, try for a rental and add during the offseason. Just my opinion.

“This is so ridiculous. A guy who hasn’t played a single pro game is a deal breaker for you on a guy who is only 27 but has scored 30 goals 6 times, including 40 twice?”

Doesn’t pretty much every great team in the NHL have a bunch of homegrown stars? With the cap as it is, you can’t just roster the best players, you need the best assets. Even if you think Kreider will only be 75% of Nash, 75% of Nash at 1/6 of Nash’s contract is a better asset. Sure there’s a risk, but its a necessary risk. At some point I imagine there was a logical veteran we could have acquired for prospect Staal and for prospect Callahan and for prospect Stepan that we’re all pretty thrilled weren’t made.

(Fran, I think it was you. Sorry for using the word “hate” there, we can reserve that for the Flyers. And if you want to jump on board and make your own awesome bagels and rolls, Peter Reinhart’s Bread Baker’s Apprentice is an awesome cookbook.)

I meant that I would rather trade AA instead of Dubi if I had that choice. I think AA is not as consistant as Dubi has been. This yeaR not withstanding in Dubi’s case. Plus Dubi brings it in the playoffs big time and you can’t discount that.

Czech, I posted on Nash about a week and a half ago. If you look back at a large sampling of big scorers, the overwhelming majority have their biggest years between 21-26. Nash is 27.

So what? He’s an absolute moose of a player.

If I had anything on the deal I wouldnt post it. That’s policy till 2/27.

Does sound like Ryan going to Toronto though, maybe today.
(maybe not coincidence we’er hearing Nash rumors today either).
Leafs scratched a few of their top youngins, or at least 1 (Kadri) so far for tonight.

I’m talking about a team that lets in as many goals as it scores. The marginal value of them trying to score a few more goals is heavily outweighed by their need to let less goals in. They should go after goaltender and defense before trying to add scoring.

The Ducks want a lot for Ryan. Leafs would have to give up Kadri/Colborne, Schenn, 1st rounder and a prospect just for him. Leafs were also talking to Philly about JvR until he had the concussion.

As stated though, they need defense and goaltending. A top 6 of Phaneuf, Schenn, Liles, Gunnarsson, Komisarek, and either Franson/Aulie/Gardiner. Reimer seems to be a decent goalie though, just can’t stay healthy. And Monster hasn’t been much of a monster until recently.

Blogmama,
LMFAO, – it was absolutely hilariously funny. Not an act, but your context. To post thing like that, person really has to have a bickels, larger than owl eyes at night. In the same time you’re quintessentially feminine. Bravo!

One of the greatest trades the Rangers will ever make, if they don’t blow it, will be simply promoting Chris Kreider to New York. And as far as his never having played a professional game, every damn star on the NHL scene today, at one time had to play his first professional game.

It’s called – a kid has a world of ability, you take a shot! Bobby Orr had no “experience,” he was up, crew cut and all, at 18. Bobby Hull was 17 – BANG! Look what we found, said the Black Hawks. The Black Hawks won a Stanley Cup two years ago led by two kids who broke in as teenagers, one of whom was the youngest captain in the NHL.

It doesn’t take guts to promote young, budding super-star talent, but it does take one hell of a gutless cop-out not to. G-U-T-L-E-S-S. Is that what you want the New York Rangers to be? The coach already doesn’t have the GUTS to try Hags on the PP which has been out to lunch, almost all month. You want more of this from this organization? Truly amazing, but then, not everyone learns that the big payoffs in life and in sports, especially, come from speculation and taking a shot. A really big shot.

J.Paul Getty became the richest man in the world by taking two big shots. First, he put his life savings into wildcatting for oil in Oklahoma terrain where all the geologists agreed there was no oil. Second, at the height of the depression he put the money he made in oil into the rock-bottom level stock market. WWll came along, the economy recovered, and guess what – richest man in the world.

This is the spirit I want my hockey team to demonstate. Prospect the unknown – that means talented rookies. Go for the gold, that means go for the Stanley Cup, not for just winning a round or two with a veteran all-star acquired for the price of demolishing your own reserve of young talent.

I think we are really going to find out, once and for all, who Sather is, per how he handles this next trade deadline situation. I just hope he exhibits more patience and wisdom than the impatient crowd, here, which thinks in terms of this year only, win or lose.

On Kreider, first of all he had to graduate, or at least finish his season, then turn pro, hire an agent, and agree to a contract. So it’s not just a matter of promoting him.

Hagelin on the PP … Do you think maybe it’s been tried in practice and they didn’t like it? Or do you really think the coach is a complete idiot who never tries to think about ways to improve the team’s biggest weakness?

Is there something to LOSE, by putting Hags on a PP which stopped working on a dime? I mean, where is the downside risk when the PP has hit a brick wall, this month?

I look at risk-reward value plays in many arenas in life, and can tell you it is axiomatic that when the potential reward outweighs the risk – you do it. And, yes, short-term you can get burned, but long-term you come out ahead. Game Theory explores the real life probability factor in depth, and the science of selecting the best strategy from all your options.

So that the Rangers come out handsomely ahead here, Carp, ORR they break even. That is the best kind of value investment in hockey, in the business world, and in the investment arena.

Boom, I don’t disagree. Just saying that you seem to think it hasn’t been considered. There’s probably a reason they don’t do it. Or maybe they will tonight.

I think they could put out five guys who never play the PP and instruct them to keep it simple, play the way they play 5-on-5, and they’d have as much success as they have with their “elite” guys playing stand-still, above-the-circles 5-on-4.

You are the investigative reporter – dig into it and YOU TELL US if Hags laid an egg on a PP practice unit. In fact, that would be the perfect cop-out for this gutless coach to hide behind. Some people (the coach, not you, Carp) think experienced journeymen are “saviours” and kids brimming with ability represent some kind of “risk.”

the bigger issue is will Manny-uel disappear at “GO Time” into an evening of marital henpeckling or will he stand his ground and tweet with us here or just take the night off to go do a bartle doo or something or other.

Do you understand that the world does not revolve around you and your do whatever it takes, ruin as many people’s lives, so long as you can make a name for yourself as an investigatory journalist, no matter how many friends you lose or people you leave dead and bloodied along the way, just so long so you can make a name for yourself as an investigatory journalist, no matter how many friends you lose or people you leave dead and bloodied and dying along the way?

if it’s on twitter, then I believe the tweeter wants the info to go public. I think that’s the whole point of twitter, so that every birdbrain can have all of his thoughts out there in space for everybody to consume.

>>>if it’s on twitter, then I believe the tweeter wants the info to go public. I think that’s the whole point of twitter, so that every birdbrain can have all of his thoughts out there in space for everybody to consume

When you have an inter-conference match-up like tonight, do you think it changes how Torts coaches late in a tight game or how the players act in a tight game late (i.e. we can be more aggressive because the 2 points for Nashville doesn’t hurt us in the playoff standings)?

“You are the investigative reporter – dig into it and YOU TELL US if Hags laid an egg on a PP practice unit. In fact, that would be the perfect cop-out for this gutless coach to hide behind. Some people (the coach, not you, Carp) think experienced journeymen are “saviours” and kids brimming with ability represent some kind of “risk.” ”

I’m far from a Tortorella apologist, but I see where you’re coming from. My biggest issue with Tortorella is not figuring out the PP. Maybe it’s on the other personnel as well, but we have seriously got to figure this out. Because if not now or soon, when?

As for gutless and giving veterans precedence over kids: Boomboom fix your flux capacitor and come to 2012. Tom Renney is no longer the coach!

so far I haven’t seen any evidence of that, Evan. I think late in tight games they play it safe because they’re so confident in Lundqvist in a shootout. But that goes for conference games as well as non-conference. and in the future, conferences will be the same as divisions and there will be more games that don’t matter in terms of whether two or three points are on the table.

noonan, I do agree with you. The PP, even with the talent level the Rangers have, should be better.

and, right, I believe he’s given a few kids a chance the last three years: Anisimov, Stepan, Del Zotto, Sauer, McDonagh, Hagelin, Bickel, Avery … ooops.

Wait what? Didn’t Torts always talk about how he needs to play the kids (and has given them a ton of ice time) and not rely as much on the vets in certain situations.

Now I’m sure most of you didn’t watch college hockey or don’t watch it, so nobody watched Hags play. He’s not a PP guy. He can be, but he’s going to play on the wall and either pass back to the point (he didn’t look cross ice) or curl in and try to shoot. It works in college, but wouldn’t work in the NHL, especially with his size.

Hags is suited much better for the PK because he’s better at persuing the puck than being a playmaker. Even his better passes he’s had to setup goals this year have been behind the net, something that you would never see on any good PP since it’s useless to have a guy behind there. On the wall he doesn’t really add anything to the PP.

Not saying he shouldn’t be given a shot, but everyone seems to think “OMG HE’S FAST SO PUT HIM ON THE PP” when in reality, you setup a “half-court offense” on the PP and don’t need speed since you are just in one zone. You rotate based on getting their defensive box out of position and moving the puck quickly, which is the Rangers biggest problem. They set a guy up in front who literally just stands in front of the goalie as a screen so nobody has to cover him. If that guy at the crease would pop out to the top of the slot by the circle hashmarks, he now opens himself up for a passing lane and frees either a guy on the wall or a d-man to get the puck and continue to move it or shoot it.

PP is all about rotations and puck movement, not straight on speed, so Hags wouldn’t have much effect on it.

lol Doodie “I don’t wanna hear your excuses! The center has to be at least… 3 times bigger than this!”

Lots of good chatter around here recently, although, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that if nothing changes with this team, I will be very pleased. It is crazy though to think about the Rangers with Nash and a Team Teemu rental going into the post season… that sounds like a cup to me… (provided we don’t lose too much to get Nash)

Besides Hags speed, he is very good at puck control when facing the man and always gets the puck on net. Ranger PP has trouble setting up, and does not carry puck into zone – a big no-no where you can spend a minute just gaining possession. hags can help gain zone and moves the puck quickly – too challenged areas to the current PP.

At this point, he needs to be on PP from a process of elimination b/c Wolski is useless and Dubi is out. Will he make a HUGE difference on PP – probably not, but when Torts recently had Feds, Rupp, and even Boyle out at the PP – you know it is desperation time!

“Besides Hags speed, he is very good at puck control when facing the man and always gets the puck on net. Ranger PP has trouble setting up, and does not carry puck into zone – a big no-no where you can spend a minute just gaining possession. hags can help gain zone and moves the puck quickly – too challenged areas to the current PP.

At this point, he needs to be on PP from a process of elimination b/c Wolski is useless and Dubi is out. Will he make a HUGE difference on PP – probably not, but when Torts recently had Feds, Rupp, and even Boyle out at the PP – you know it is desperation time!”

I’d like to see how he does with puck movement on the PP in practice at least

“Noonan – how likely is that? How frequently has this happened recently? Have other teams in the recent past brought in college first rounders at end of season with success?”

a lot of Rangers fans are pretty damn deluded. I think the fact that he’s an American-born player adds to the absurd overrating he receives plus the guy had a decent season last year. but it’s obvious he’s a borderline 4th liner at best.

Just for the record, Hags scored 14 PP goals in college, two the first two years, 12 his final two years. With most brain-dead coaches who have a PP that isn’t working, Hags’ record in this category in college would at least warrant a serious look.

I swear this coach needs to create a new Avery, a new whipping boy, in the absence of the original.

Fair enough. I didn’t expect the Rangers would be in first place in the conference at this point in the season, either. As far as Rupp, he had one pretty nice goal and a total joke of a goal. So, yeah, he lit it up at the Winter Classic. Whatever. He’s still a bum.

Stranger – he can enter the zone 5 on 5 when it’s just him and a forward going in 2 on 2. On the PP, you have all 4 of their players in front of you, so that space is closed, hence why his speed isn’t necessarily as effective because it’s straight line speed.

The problem the Rangers have is that they limit themselves because they try to spread the ice too much and force the PK to play 4 flat across the blueline. Instead of working up the ice on one side and putting one guy on the far boards to stretch them, they have guys on both walls so all 4 spread. If you overload one side with 2 or 3 guys, it forces them to throw 2 guys on that side (as long as the PP players are moving at angles instead of standing still) and opens up a hole on the blueline. It’s much easier said than done depending on who you play though.

Lloyd – so you want a bunch of 1st and 2nd liners playing on the 3rd and 4th line? I’m not trying to hate on you, just trying to see what you are looking for out of the 4th line.

I’m not a huge Boyle fan, but he wins faceoffs, blocks a ton of shots, and effectively takes the body (doesn’t go out of his way to throw a huge hit, just takes the guy out of the play). That’s essentially what you want out of a 3rd or 4th liner. He had an unsual scoring year last year, but if he nets 5-10 and does what he does defensively, he’s doing his job very effectively.

I don’t have any issue with that, and you’re right that Boyle is good on face-offs. The overrating of him is what bugs me. I think a lot of the “intangibles” folks around here use to lap praise on Ranger players – particularly the lower line players – could be found in any number of guys in the AHL, and in general most people wouldn’t make a big deal about it. Rangers, fans, however, tend to get very carried away with themselves.

Also for the PP, the two best PP guys we have in regards to skills are WW and EC. Their creativity and ability to move and look cross ice to spread the PK are better than anyone we have.

But, the problem is it’s WW and EC. They have skills, but 0 consistency and very little if any “jam”.

So Torts needs to come up with a PP based on his current personnel. If he was going to use Hags, play a funnel through the Neutral Zone and instead of posting a guy on the far boards, have him circle in the neutral zone and time it so the point guy can dump the puck into the far corner and have him race to get there to enter. Then from there setup a simple overload down low where you cycle deep and keep the puck down there, have the guys cycling stay higher up in the slot and try to catch the D out of position and have the point guy sneak slow for the cross ice pass.

Yet again easier said than done, but based on the current roster, it seems to be the only way to at least get them better chances. Torts knows what he’s doing, but I think he’s assuming he has his offensively skilled guys like he had in Tampa when he comes up with PP strategy.

Plus I’ve got a decent memory. I remember asking you a few months back for more details of the list of players (other than the might John Grahame) that Tortorella “buried” in Tampa Bay that precipitated his firing.

“I’m not a huge Boyle fan, but he wins faceoffs, blocks a ton of shots, and effectively takes the body (doesn’t go out of his way to throw a huge hit, just takes the guy out of the play). ”

You’re not a Boyle fan? May as well pick a new board to post from because he is the Messiah on these boards.

He does not block a ton of shots. For such a “terrific” defensive guru you’d think he would block more shots.

He does throw around his body like a human wrecking ball and take other players out of the play (including himself). He can afford to with our D, of course. Gets knocked off the puck as easily as my grandmother at times but that’s neither here nor there.

He needs to plant his big body in front of the net more often. If he can make it there in time LOLOLOLOL

Rod – no not set plays, just a simpler way to enter the zone. Set plays would never work for this team, they don’t have the puck movers they’d need for it once they got in.

The breakout would be more freeflowing more than anything else. They have a current set play they used to enter the zone, but 2 guys are posted on the boards opposite each other and because they don’t have the passers, they can’t get into the zone.

Keeping it simpler works with this squad because their strengths are keeping the puck deep and funneling traffic to the net. It also will give a guy like DZ the opportunity to get more involved since the far side is open for him to straddle between the slot and the point.

“I don’t have any issue with that, and you’re right that Boyle is good on face-offs. The overrating of him is what bugs me. I think a lot of the “intangibles” folks around here use to lap praise on Ranger players – particularly the lower line players – could be found in any number of guys in the AHL, and in general most people wouldn’t make a big deal about it. Rangers, fans, however, tend to get very carried away with themselves.”

I’ll take the Blair Betts for less $ and more blocked shots category, please.

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